


Slipstream

by PotatooftheLand



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Yakuza, Childhood Friends, F/M, Multi, Mute Reader, Street Racing, Yandere
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-28 10:41:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30138327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PotatooftheLand/pseuds/PotatooftheLand
Summary: When you first saw them again, you had thought that surely you must have spent all your luck for the next few years.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime/Reader, Oikawa Tooru/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by:  
> [Art](https://aikk00.tumblr.com/post/633080161345126400/i-wonder-if-you-know-how-they-live-in-tokyo) by Aik00  
> [Instinct](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13464528/chapters/30867522) by alkhale  
> [deciphered](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27911611/chapters/68349208) by hoeneymilktea
> 
> Beta-read by the illustrious nahee
> 
> I've never even watched the show :D

Well, you don’t know what you expected. Part of you was proud that your beloved sedan had even made it this far and the other half of you was flying around in panic that you had broken down on the side of an unfamiliar road. Your phone signal flickers between ‘SOS Only’ and half a bar. In despair, the sound of tinkering and whirring catches your attention. It sounds promising, looks like a workshop with cars hoisted up high so surely they would lend you a hand? Someone to come help you figure if your hunk of junk could be salvaged, make it those last handful of kilometers?

Quickly preening yourself, you try to make yourself every bit of that omega in need of assistance trope. Stepping up to the door, you give a tentative knock, then bang harder to be heard above the rumbling and pitched buzzing. Someone shoots an acidic look your way before yelling unintelligibly, the mechanics not even glancing. You wilt a little until one of them finally pauses, stalking over to where you’re standing, clearly grumpy. You perk nonetheless at the whiff of mint coming from him beneath the oil and engine grease, his scent evoking positive emotions.

It’s only when he’s removed his dust mask that you realise why.

It’s...Haji.

All grown up now, filled out from all those years of training. The scowl is the same though until Iwaizumi meets your gaze, wherein he does a double take.

An exhale escapes you, but your surprised delight needs no voice. Because your eyes beam with happiness, grin outshining the sun as you reach out excitedly, practically humming with energy. Your scent explodes around you in a bright, effervescent song, almost a dazzling display of light, like honey and cinnamon or freshly baked bread and _nostalgia_. His breath hitches, and he stares just frozen. Can’t believe what he is seeing, the warm, sweet smell of you curling in his lungs like a blanket. You have since grabbed his hands and pulled them to your chest eagerly in greeting, bouncing on the balls of your feet to convey how glad you were to see him.

You pause abruptly, letting go and scrambling for your board where you scribble furiously then gesture at yourself enthusiastically like a theatre performer. The arrow is pointed at your face as if he wouldn’t know where to look, and please he wasn’t Shittykawa.

_[Remember me?? ------ >]_

And how could he ever have forgotten. Still, your eyes are wide and hopeful so he smirks, grabbing onto your shoulder to pull you into an embrace.

“No.” he teases, engulfing himself in your soothing aura as you give him a sulky sigh. “Would have sworn that (Name) would know better than to drive until they ran out of gas.”

You huffed but nuzzled up happily, holding onto his dirt stained clothes as if they were perfectly clean. You smelled so...nice. Like a mixture of sweet lemon tea and spied apple tart. It’s so strong and familiar that he can detect the roiling waves despite his duller beta senses, can only imagine what the alphas inside can smell. His fingers dig into your back involuntarily at the thought, ~~possessively~~ protectively. For a long moment, you two merely hold each other, and its as if those years never existed. The questions bubbling in his throat are choked by the joy of reunion. He doesn’t even question your silence and whiteboard.

“How’d you find me?” he asks instead but you just peer at him with those pretty eyes of yours.

Then, without another word you disentangle yourself and waddle off. His heart drops seeing you go, not even a goodbye. _No goodbyes Haji, don’t think Ru can take it!_. You have barely made it a few steps before he reels you back, offended and hurt at the rude dismissal. 

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going!?” he snaps as you jump at his sudden movement, startled. “You show up out of the blue after--!”

You point at your throat and he stops.

The scar is crooked and messy, teeth marks evident from the way your flesh has healed. You’re writing uncertainly but he can’t read the words explaining how you were a victim of some crazed alpha in rut. How you had covered your glands so his fangs had ripped into your larynx instead. You shrink when you relay the story, jittery at the recollection as your scent sours. His blood runs cold when his mind finally catches up, because it was him. He let you go, was the one to persuade Tooru to not dig his claws in until you bled. The voice of _reason_ you had chirped, what would turn out to be one of the last phrases they would ever hear from you. Guilt tears its way through his chest like a living fire.

_[Anyway, need car help *Please, pls Haji~!*]_

“We never should have let you leave…” he murmurs, more to himself so that you’re not sure if he’s even read your message. “Don’t worry (Name)...we won’t let anything like this happen to you again.”

We? You already know who, anticipation brimming within you and spilling from your aroma again. You look left and right, expecting him to appear out of thin air. If only you knew just how misplaced your bubbling eagerness would be. His eyes soften seeing you like this, seeing you _at all_ after everything… But you have no judgement in your gaze, and he thinks that of course you would have kept your old childhood promise after all. That no matter what, you guys wouldn’t let anything come between what you had.

_[Tooru’s here????]_

“Didn’t think it would be that easy to get rid of him, did you?”

\--*--

“You can use this spare car until yours is fixed.”

_[Thanks so much! ]_

You press your hands together gratefully with a short bow, as he waves you upright airily, red tinting his cheeks. The stares and sniggers from his coworkers make you a bit nervous, the wolfish leers...but with Iwa its easy to feel safe. He isn’t _touchy_ like Tooru always was (especially after he presented as an alpha) but he stays close, guiding you carefully and placing his body between you and anyone else nearby. He had snapped a quick selfie together which he promised to show Oikawa.

_[I owe you one <3 ]_

“Just one?” he huffs as you hastily lift two fingers instead. “Yeah, yeah just make sure to get home safe.”

You chuckle soundlessly, because its been less than a day and he’s already back to his concerned “mom” habits. Then again, he _had_ dutifully saved you from being stranded, so maybe he did know best like usual. You wish you could speak, ask him if the years had been kind, tell him how much you had missed them. But you don’t want to distract him from his work any longer than you have to with sprawling sentences. Instead, you just beam happily, hoping he understands just how elated and blessed you feel to have found him again. 

“I’ll be in touch soon, (Name).”

You nod in that adorable way of yours and fondness radiates from him in palpable cascades. But whenever he starts to think that time hasn’t changed a thing, your silence will ring in his ears. He’ll realise he’s been straining his hearing for a weird story or lame joke, one that never comes. It burns a hole through his core when he imagines you being unable to call for help, cry out if you were in pain. You appear oblivious to his turmoil as you carry your belongings into the tracked vehicle he is lending you, waving goodbye as you roll onto the road.

He stares until you vanish out of sight, tail lights blinking around the corner.

“So who gets to tell Oikawa he’s got competition?” Matsukawa calls from behind him, followed by a chorus of indecipherable jeers.

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes, ignoring the bait as he hops into your car, shifting it into neutral. Your scent permeates throughout the entire cabin and he lets out a slow breath, savouring the smell of vanilla and soft, crispy butter cookies and damn it you _always_ made him so hungry… All he needed to complete his blast to the past now was Tooru hanging off your shoulders after school wailing about how he was starving to death without milk bread. _”And it’s all your fault, (Name)! Take some responsibility!”_

He grabs his phone, Oikawa’s chat messages opening once he unlocks the screen.

It’s his first instinct, to rush to his best friend with the news. But he knows it would be a mistake, Tooru would not have the self control. The second you were mentioned, he would demand to see you _immediately_. He would forget about everything else, and the whispers would start flying when the other teams saw that the Seijoh’s Brawlers were missing their lead racer, the ripples reflecting over their entire organisation. Oikawa participated in far more than street tournaments after all. No, it was for the best. Shittykawa could have his tirade later.

\--*--

“The nitrous oxide was injected too early...” 

Iwaizumi sighed, leaning against the railing watching the streaking lights in red below, the fire belching onto the blackened tarmac. For once, the loss barely stings, barely registers as anything other than trivial. His friend quieted, stepping up next to him. He doesn’t speak, but the probing concern and curiosity hung heavy in the air regardless.

“You’ve been distracted all night.” Oikawa commented conversationally, watching his troubled expression closely. “It’s not about the race, is it?”

No, and there was little point in trying to hide it. Not when the issue was so close at hand.

Of course, it was a good thing that you were here. There was no question about that. What there was a question around was _how_ you would be handled. There was no doubt in his mind that Oikawa would latch on like an overgrown parasite, heedlessly, thoughtlessly in that initial period. Blinded by his passion and constructed versions of you. He would take your return as confirmation that you were _his_ soulmate. And therein lay the problem. Iwaizumi hadn’t been blind back then and he sure as hell wasn’t now. Oikawa was a jealous alpha, and you were not a subtle omega. He could only imagine that your then wariness would have jumped tenfold since you lost your voice. Still, he saw no way out between his loyalty to Oikawa and affection for you. Just caught in the slipstream.

“Yeah, got something to tell you when we get home.”

\--*--

_Years ago..._

“Look what I got you! Weren’t you saying you wanted to try them?”

You pattered up eagerly, as Oikawa huddled close to see the tiny cherries resting proudly in your palm. It was only a small branch, but they looked plump and unblemished. You pressed them into his hand before whirling around to the great big tree you had acquired them from. He stared at you, wide eyed, relishing the sweetness of your gift on his tongue. Later, when you’re much older, you’ll tell him that they were barely edible. But he doesn’t remember it that way at all.

“Wait up, (Name)!”

“We’ll get more near the top of the branches!” you chirped over your shoulder, running off as he scrambled to follow you up the grassy hill. 

“No! It’s dangerous, we could get hurt!” he immediately cried out in protest.

“Don’t be a scaredy cat!”

Tooru huffed, reaching out as you recede further up the path, showered in dancing pale petals. He’s trying to catch up when his shoe catches in a divot, sending him sprawling. Pushing himself to his knees, he finds himself left behind in your dust and the tears are welling up before he can help it.

“(Name) stop!” he wails but you don’t look back and it’s irrational fear that grips his heart at being _abandoned_. “Come back!!”

You’re already at the base of the trunk when he grabs the jagged pebble, arm raised to hurl it so that you would _stop_. Just return to his side where you belong, where you were safe. But then you might hate him, get hurt and cry and-- You finally turn when you hear his sobbing and the sound of a rock tumbling onto the pavement below.

“Tooru!” 

There’s blood on his uniform as he hunches over his fresh injury, face wet and shining as he gazes at you miserably. You’re there in an instant, tying your handkerchief over the wound and pulling him to his feet even as he clings frantically. His relief at your attention is deafening and you realise he’d cut himself on the stone.

“Why did you do that, Tooru?” you asked softly, as he snuffled in your arms, pressing your scent soaked shirt to his nose.

“You were leaving me!” he bawled in a pitched tone, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “We have to stay together, remember?! You promised forever...”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BELATED BORTHDAY

“It’s not about work.”

Oikawa visibly relaxes, dumping his bag down and jumping onto the nearby chair. His carefree persona was back in full force, and he couldn’t tell if it was to try and ease the tension or get his mind off things.

“Is this about me ditching you at the club last weekend then? Not my fault all the ladies want a piece of this~” he preened, even if the novelty of his conquests had long since dulled into something akin to a routine distraction. “But you smell pretty nice yourself today, take it you found a fan at the track?”

Oikawa wanders off before receiving a reply, expecting him to follow. His destination is obvious anyway, as he beelines towards his favourite room of their humble abode as usual. Iwaizumi follows a few paces behind, standing just outside as the alpha blissfully burrows his way into the enormous low slung canopy bed that is overrun with fluffy pillows and furred blankets. The luxurious carpet stands out against the rest of the wooden floorboards. And as much as the beta had complained about all the unnecessary _upkeep_ , his friend could not be dissuaded from decking out the vacant nest room. The space is clogged with various items Tooru had amassed, trinkets he thought you might like or reminded him of you. Plush toys, jewellry, dresses and random assortments of expensive baking equipment. He religiously spritzed the perfume you used to wear around like an addict as well, particularly when Hajime spent too long inside. Which was his way of saying it was time for his friend to get out. It was all he had left of your scent. Your childhood gifts to them were also carefully sequestered away within his haphazardly constructed pillow fort as well.

“Mhm...should have bought some fresh bread…” he murmured through lidded eyes, absentmindedly rubbing himself against the cushions, seemingly in perpetual preparation for his treasured omega. “That really smells like her…”

Iwaizumi doesn’t reply, has seen the depths of his obsession only everyday now. Instead, he just stalks right up into his space before flashing the picture on his phone. 

“I know--”

But Oikawa has snatched the device out of his hand already, too quick for him to dodge. Any fogginess from his lazy lolling has dissolved in an instant. The screen reflects his ravenous, desperate and unblinking gaze, the way he drinks in every detail from the photo. He realises that he’s sniffing involuntarily, searching for your wonderful, soothing scent but finding only his beta’s minty smell. Envy. It practically oozes from his pores as he traces how you’ve wedged yourself into Iwaizumi’s side in this captured moment. Nestled yourself so happily there, chosen Iwa-chan again like you _always_ did.

Had he been greedily hiding you away all this time? Jealousy boils within his chest at the thought, because if there was any pain greater than losing a best friend, it was losing two. He knows he’s the truly selfish one, demanding affection and comfort from you both above each other, to be the number one in your hearts. But...it was all he had. No one else _knew_ him, understood. He just wanted to be good enough, _always_ enough, without having to fight for it or pretend. Such an endless and exhausting exercise it was, managing his appearances... Wasn’t that why you had come back? You knew he needed you? Of course it was...you had been so attuned to him, so gentle and caring--

You’re here, you’re _his_.

He’s moving before his mind can even catch up, sprinting to grab his keys-- A growl of annoyance rips through his chest when he runs into Iwaizumi, who’s blocking the path like a stubborn bouncer. 

“It’s 1 am, she’s sleeping...” 

“Well, maybe you should have let me know _earlier_ then, hm?” he retorted pleasantly, eyes flashing. “Since you two have clearly been _catching up_.”

“You’d only have been distracted for your race.”

“Oh? Are you my manager? Seems like there was only one person who was off their game today anyway~”

“If you’d just--

“Calm down? Easy for _you_ to say. How long have you two been seeing each other?” he queried instead, tone icy and bitter despite the smile still on his face.

“It’s not like that. I saw her for the first time today, her car broke down and she showed up at the workshop.” he explained briskly, bristling cautiously thanks to the frothing sharpness in the alpha’s musk. “Besides, how do you think she would react if you come busting down her door like _that_?”

Oikawa narrowed his eyes, chancing a glance down at his outfit.

“The tattoos, jacket, omega scented.” Iwaizumi provided flatly, for which he receives no acknowledgement. “We’re not...what she remembers.”

“Where is she?”

“First thing tomorrow--”

The snarl is instinctive, because Iwa of all people should _know_ that this can’t be delayed. That he needs you _right now_ , that’s he’s waited long enough. That you should have been curled in his arms from the beginning, been tucked away in his abode to be treasured and showered in gifts. Instead, you’ve been stumbling around alone out there ~~with his best friend~~ and-- He reads the licence plate of the rental car behind you, pulling out his own phone to search up the associated tracker.

“Oikawa--”

“I’m going, you knew I would. Don’t make this difficult for either of us.”

\--*--

Stupid hooligans...waking up half the dead with their revving...don’t they know people have to wake up early for work? You bury your face in your pillow grouchily, trying to get some sleep before you have to get up in a bit. Alas, it is not to be. Instead of the noise fading it gets louder and louder until abruptly, it becomes fierce banging on your door. You want to ignore it, but can’t when you hear them calling your name. You jerk upright, annoyance fading into anxiety. You couldn’t tell which was worse, if it was someone you knew or a stranger. Nothing good came from frantic knocks at this hour…

Slowly, you crept over to the window, shifting the blinds infinitesimally to peek out. You catch only a tall silhouette, the sheen of a leather jacket, and their hoon mobile on the sidewalk. You gulp, wondering whether you ought to text the police. The person looked scary, and you wondered whether the previous tenant had been in deep with the loan sharks…

You go to take another look and would have screamed if you could, because peering straight through the tiny slit are feverish umber eyes, catlike in the moonlight. You leap back, heart racing as if you had seen a ghost.

“(Name), I saw you!” that familiar voice sings, barely restrained excitement. “Open up!”

Tooru…! 

Your rush over and yet, hesitate at the threshold. Because there had been that _glint_ in his gaze, and suddenly a door was a paltry barrier between yourself and such a voracious hunger. Call it your omega instincts, but it’s too similar, too _close_. He’s not that alpha and you _know_ that-- Oikawa rattles the handle furiously so that the entire frame shakes, not exactly easing your discomfort. Had Iwaizumi given him your address? But no...you hadn’t told him where you lived either.

“(Name)!” he calls again, impatiently this time, the edge in his tone loud in your ears.

You stand there in the darkness for an eternity, frozen and anxious and it’s _Tooru_ , you shouldn’t feel this way. He’d always stood up for you when it mattered. All the same, your feet refuse to obey, to unlock your latch. As if he could read your thoughts, it becomes suddenly deathly silent on the other side and it only serves to make you more unnerved. Then, twin beams come flooding down the avenue as you jerk your head to the source. The car pulls up sharply, slamming into park as Haji comes barreling out, muttering under his breath.

And just like that, your reservations melt. His presence reassuring you as tangibly as the sun might melt snow. He wouldn’t let anything happen to you, always managed to temper Oikawa when he was at risk of slipping or became too intense. When he threatened to be consumed by his own ambition and insecurities. You turned the key, and the door is practically thrown open the second the click is heard, causing you to stumble back.

“--dumbass!”

Oikawa watches himself lunge, digging his fingers into you desperately. He’s pulling you into his arms before you can steady yourself, musk coaxing you into relaxing. He relishes how you collapse against him after a moment, how you nuzzle up in greeting even when his grip is crushing. He curls himself around you entirely, coiling around your waist, shoulders and head, as if trying to block you from anyone else's view. You squirm a bit, but he only clings tighter, afraid you’ll disappear.

“Careful, you’ll strangle them at this rate…” his friend scolds shortly but there’s no characteristic grouchiness in his features.

You’re swept up, lifted off your feet and carried inside as you peer at an exasperated Haji over his shoulder. Oikawa’s scent overwhelms you, a strong, clean musk like the aftermath of a thunderstorm. Reminds you of rain and the seas, as crisp as the chill of dawn. Maybe you couldn’t call it conventionally ‘nice’, but its distinct and alluring so that you could never mistake him for anyone else. It’s too intense right now though, spiking erratically, ecstatically so that your own senses are thrown into disarray, mind hazy.

“What took you so long?!” he demanded breathlessly, relief lacing his words and he sulked. “I thought you slipped or something!”

...It’s the middle of the night obviously, but of course no such reply reaches him. You return his hug, and his smile grows impossibly wider at your affection. His fingers are tracing along your jawline, as he stares enraptured. You jerk in surprise when his lips crash into yours, hot and needy, eager and relentless. Your head spins, the taste of him and blood on your tongue as his canines pierce--

“It doesn’t matter now, you’re okay. We have all the time in the world to make up for all the years we lost~” he continues with a laugh when he finally lets you up for air, cuddling you to his chest. “Do you know how much we missed you? I’ve thought about you everyday since you left...”

Iwaizumi steps closer, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder but Oikawa ignores him.

“What have you been up to these days? I want to know everything about you since we’ve been apart…” he simpered gently, tightening his hold at your lack of response. “No? Don’t be shy, darling~ Haven’t heard your pretty voice in so long…”

“Oikawa.”

“You had your turn already, didn’t you Iwa?” he informs him cheerfully, immediately, his expression bathed in shadow. “I should get some alone time with (Name) too, its only fair.”

“It’s not that. I think...you should put her down for this.” he insisted, uncertainty evident in his body language.

“That’s not for you to decide.” he responds cooly, stroking your hair and still cooing innocently. “Go on (Name), tell him you want to be with me~”

You open your mouth, throat working as he watches you with unnerving focus, dilated pupils near deliriously as he scrutinises every detail of your expression. He’s inhaling deeply despite his bursting elation, unable to get enough of your sweet scent that engulfs him with all the force of a freight train. It buries him, the tang of fresh milk bread and citrus and _home_. It makes his chest clench painfully, delightfully and he feels that familiar craving coursing through his veins. To consume and claim you, hide away his perfect omega and destined mate. It never left, only grew more unbearable over the years as you faded more and more from him. Yet even now, with you in his arms, his longing only sharpens insufferably. 

“She can’t.”

Iwaizumi sighs as Oikawa finally, finally turns to look at him. He could think of no _good_ way to broach this subject, only a thousand bad ones. It doesn’t change anything, you’re still you, their beloved childhood friend but Tooru has always been _dramatic_.

“Just try not to freak out.” he warns tiredly, insufficiently because he knows it’ll probably happen regardless. “(Name)...she can’t speak anymore. She can tell you better than me, just let her get her phone or board.”

But it doesn’t look like you can, not with how he’s grasping you, limbs entangled and your face pressed to his glands. Slowly, he tilts his head to stare at your neck, at the mess of a scar that is evident even in the low light. He can recognise the teeth marks already, as he snaps his attention to your glands which are thankfully unmarked. The pieces are falling into place even as he reels in fury and shock at what he is seeing. You can see the flicker of agony over his features, as if he himself was bleeding and your scent softens to comfort him instinctively.

Of course you had gotten hurt, of course it would happen. He knew it was inevitable but neither of you had _listened_ to him. He’d been naive, foolish to let you two convince him, he’d _trusted_ your false platitudes over his own better judgement.

You were utterly irresistible after all, what alpha wouldn’t be drooling to sink their fangs into your supple glands? Without even his scent to ward them off… He could only imagine the spontaneous rut, and you trapped there helplessly at their mercy. Millimeters from _disaster_ had they bitten an inch deeper, or forever branded had they veered right or left. And what he would give to tear apart the disgusting fuck that thought he could lay a finger on his darling...but there would be time to find him later. You’re pushing him now, clearly uncomfortable as he forces his grip on you to loosen a fraction. Your skin is marked red from how hard he had pressed down.

A thousand memories dance behind his eyes, how you’d call his name at the school gate, the off-key songs you’d sing when you recognised the track on the radio.

“Oh (Name)...”

\--*--

“And now we stay together forever~”

“Forever??” you squawked in surprise, and even at that age, you had an inkling of the weight of such a word.

He nodded giddily, tying the grass knot onto your finger and squishing his chubby cheeks against yours contently. At that age, it didn’t strike you as all too strange. You didn’t know any better, just accepted the way he all but glued himself to you. The way he would keep a deathgrip on you with his little fingers like you were his favourite toy he couldn’t bear to lose. Not all your friends were that way.

“...With Haji too, right?”

“No!” they chorused at the same time.

“I don’t want to play house again, it _sucks_!” complained Iwaizumi, jabbing twigs into the ground.

“No, it doesn’t! Go away if you don’t want to play!” Oikawa immediately yelled, wrapping his arms around his ‘wife’. “Come’on (Name)...”

“We always play house!”

Iwaizumi sulked, crossing his arms as you three sat around the remains of long finished snacks. This was so boring...he wanted to go run around in the nearby field, not sit under this tree pretending to be a family all afternoon. He knew Oikawa wanted too as well, but just wouldn’t admit it. The second you weren’t around, he was sure his best friend would run out there with him. 

“Did you want to be the mother instead?” you offered even as your other friend screeched in protest from your shoulders.

“No! I want to see who can reach the fence the fastest!!”

Your eyes lit up as you dislodged your resident koala with some difficulty. Iwaizumi saw you brushing off your dress and immediately jumps to his feet. You’re sprinting before he can speak, calling over your shoulder.

“I’ll race you!” 

“Hey, that’s no fair!”

But he’s tearing off after you, as Oikawa stumbles with your hair ribbon still clutched in his hands from where he had refused to let go. He wants to call out, to tell you both to _come back_ but it hurts to get such words out. He tenses, feeling those roiling waves threatening to drag him under again, like he wasn’t _good enough_. How could you two leave him like that? You weren’t _allowed_ \--

You’re suddenly crashing to the ground, something having slammed into you with all the force of a flung bowling ball. You tumble across the earth, gasping and rolling and when the sky is again overhead, you find Oikawa sitting on you petulantly, on the verge of tears again. When did he become _faster_ than you? With a deep inhale--

“This doesn’t count Haji! Tooru’s letting you win!!” you shout at the top of your lungs as Iwaizumi skids to a halt. “Get off!”

“No!!” he shrieked, and you’re startled when he whacks your shoulders down. “You have to play with me, you’re _my_ friend!.”

If you’d been any older, the look in his eyes would have scared you. You would have known that there was something wrong with him, something splintered in his heart. But as it stood, it was just Tooru being Tooru to your naive mind. Dramatic about everything and currently helping Haji cheat. He doesn’t even get to finish his freak out, because Iwaizumi prying him off as he flails to fight him off. You take the opportunity to tickle his stomach as he yelps, betrayed when he crashes down beside you. His spike of terror abates under the attention of both his dearest friends, as he wrestles with Haji in the grass.

And your memory of that day is filled with laughter amongst the wildflowers instead of tears.

**Author's Note:**

> FOR NAHEE AND CHII, thank you so much for always supporting me and hanging out <3 Couldn't have written without you, and a thousand thank yous wouldn't be enuf T^T


End file.
